The Sims has the Last Laugh, Crosses the 100 Million Mark

After being the subject of snide remarks when it first made its appearance in 2000, the Sims is finally having the last laugh. A report by EA claims the Sims franchise along with its sequel and expansion packs has gone on to become the most popular franchise ever among PC games, and has crossed the 100 million mark so far.

This is what Rod Humble, the head of Electronic Arts’ Sims Studio had to say, “We had a lot of mocking. ‘Why have a game where I can put myself in it? That's stupid,’ people said. I think history proved it was a good idea.”

The Sims video game allows players to get into a real world which they can create on their own and also manipulate according to their needs. The game has proved high on popularity, particularly among women, with the women-men ratio among players standing at 60-40.

The original developer of the game was Will Wright, a name to reckon with in the gaming world. Even by his standards, the idea seemed very far-fetched, enough to throw the seeds of doubt even among his own team of game developers.

However, we have seen earlier as well that ideas and products that seem ridiculous at one point in time can turn out to be the biggest things some years down the line. The same thing happened with Sims. It gave players one critical element: the freedom to develop scenarios and even people in the game, and get them to perform tasks according to their wish.

This was the first game to introduce to us many of the things that seem so commonplace nowadays – the concepts of content developed by the user and also casual gaming first came to the fore in the Sims game.

The success of the game series is apparent when you consider there are more than 100,000 Sims movies that players themselves have created. According to Nancy Smith, the president of the Sims game developed by Electronic Arts, the game has effectively taught players to use the creative tools available and combine them with the open-world possibility on offer.

Talking about the game, Smith said, “There is not a set, established path. The players figure out what their own goals and aspirations are. Our players are able to enjoy the game in so many different ways.”

The success of the game can only mean one way for the team that developed it – forward. Sims 3, the sequel to the earlier version, is expected to hit the market some time next year. Humble says that game would be a mouth-watering prospect for hard core gamers.

That is the only offering in the pipeline. EA is also working with 20th Century Fox to bring out a live action movie. Another offering on the way is a Sims Carnival casual game. This game seems even more exciting as it would give players the freedom to create their own games.

All this goes to show only one thing – the Sims game was no flash in the pan, and is here to stay.